Having lost both arms in an electric shock, Jiang Shengfa, a Chinese teacher, has stood at the front of the classroom in a poor rural village for the past 12 years.
In 1996, Jiang Shengfa lost both arms in an electric shock accident while helping a neighbour repair a high-voltage power line. Before that, Jiang had taught Chinese for more than 20 years.
In 2003, Anle Primary School, in a mountain village in Yunnan Province, was recruiting teachers. But because of its remote location and poor living conditions, the school could not find a suitable person.
“This village is very poor. No teacher wants to come to live and work here”, Jiang told The People’s Daily. “All the young and educated people in the village have gone elsewhere to find work”. Realising that the children might not get an education, the local authorities decided to ask Jiang to be a substitute teacher.
Although he had retired, Jiang happily accepted when invited. What is more, he has stayed in the job for 12 years. Every day he has to walk more than 8 kilometres on muddy roads to reach the village and teach the children.
Although he has lost both arms, Jiang can still do everything, from writing on the board and turning the pages of books to eating by himself without any help.
Jiang can even use his amputated arms to write calligraphy.
Images of teacher Jiang’s love for his profession and resilience, after appearing on social media, received much praise and admiration. One commenter wrote: “We should look at this teacher’s image whenever we feel discouraged. There is nothing in this life that is too terrible.”
Teacher Jiang’s dedication has also been recognised. Jiang has received many awards in recent years, including the “Candle Light Award” presented by the China Youth Development Foundation.
Huong Duong
Photo: People’s Daily
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